The Clean Energy Council and its members have taken a leadership role in calling for the removal of a proposed requirement for AS/NZS 5139 that would be overly restrictive and require batteries to be installed outside of a house. A roundtable held by Standards Australia, a roundtable of senior industry and government leaders, last week agreed to review this requirement and provides the right step towards a sensible standard which would allow batteries to be installed inside a house if the battery units meet appropriate international standards and are installed by an accredited installer to clearly defined standards.
“The decision to review this requirement is an important one for the future of the Australian consumer storage industry” said Sandy Atkins, Clean Energy Council Executive General Manager of Installation Integrity. “While consumer safety is paramount for the industry, such requirements are unnecessary if battery units meet appropriate international product standards and are installed by an accredited installer. The pathway outlined by Standards Australia will shift the primary responsibility for product safety on to the product manufacturers instead of installers. This is a positive change as the alternative would ultimately result in higher costs to consumers. It was great to see that all the stakeholders at the meeting were in agreeance that installation standards for battery storage are vital, and we would like to acknowledge the huge amount of work that the committee has undertaken so far”.
Mr Atkins thanked Standards Australia on behalf of the Clean Energy Council for facilitating the roundtable so that an outcome could be reached that benefits consumers and industry alike. The CEC is looking forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that the recommendations from the roundtable are implemented
The roundtable has agreed to hold subsequent meetings to ensure that widespread support for the standard remains as work on its implementation continues.
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